Fresh tube strikes to hit Londoners with TfL staff to walk out Monday after Jubilee weekend
Londoners will need to brace themselves for fresh Tube strikes, as the RMT union announced today that Transport for London (TfL) workers will walk out on 6 June, the Monday after Jubilee weekend.
RMT’s general secretary Mick Lynch has called on almost 4,000 members of staff to strike over job cuts, while announcing a ban on overtime working from 3 June to 10 July.
The strike is expected to impact almost every station in zone 1, with “above ground” stations remaining opened. TfL could consider closing the wider network because of safety concerns.
“TfL is trying to bulldoze through 600 job losses on London Underground and our members are not prepared to accept that,” said RMT’s general secretary Mick Lynch.
“Instead of seeking to cut jobs, TfL and Mayor Sadiq Khan need to put further pressure on the government to secure increased funding for the network so we can have a properly staffed modern 21st century tube.”
Commenting on RMT’s latest strike, TfL said it was just replacing former employees who retired or changed jobs, not cutting posts among current employees.
“We are extremely disappointed that the RMT has announced unnecessary strike action on June 6 and share Londoners’ frustrations that this, and the linked action short of strike, has been designed to disrupt the Jubilee weekend,” said TfL’s chief operating officer Andy Lord.
“It is particularly surprising that the RMT has threatened to spoil this moment when the nation is coming together as nobody has or will lose their jobs as a result of the proposals we have set out and there have been no proposals on pension changes.”
The first big strike to hit London since March, the industrial action planned for 6 June is not related to employees at Euston and Green Park stations walking out because of poor working conditions.
The union’s decision to strike on the Queen’s Jubilee was lambasted by all sides.
A Downing Street spokesperson said last week the government didn’t want “to see any disruption to London’s transport system at such a moment when people are trying to come together to honour this Jubilee year,” while Sir Keir Starmer hoped for a resolution before the Bank Holiday.